Personally I would avoid a low carb diet if you are a keen cyclist. It would be better to just switch to complex carbs instead of simple and also learn about nutrition. This way you can tailor the right amount of carb, fat and protein for your activity level.

Carbs are needed to fuel nearly every type of activity. The amount of glycogen in your liver and muscles will affect the your exercise performance. So if you are not eating enough carbs, not enough fuel and thus crappy performance.

If you reduce carb intake too much and do intensive exercise (like cycling) you risk not having enough energy to from glycogen, thus the energy comes from protein making it unavailable for muscle growth.

The idiet works because you need vitamins, minerals, protein and fat for your body to function. Carbs are basically extra fuel. If you don't do lots of exercise, the other essentials are sufficient fuel. If you train you need more fuel. The idiet provides simple and good rules for upgrading your eating quality and cutting out rubbish 'empty' calories.

If you are not particularly active the it is a great way to lose weight. My mum has got her blood pressure and weight back under control by following the basic rules. If you are training or doing lots of exercise you might need to look at something more complicated - Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald is a good book. It is about improving the quality of your diet and eating in line with your training. There are carbs in there but timed to fit with what you need and when.

I started in May 2011 at 12.5 stone, by August I was down to 10st7 through out last year I fluctuated between 10st4 and 10st7 depending on racing, with a bodyfat level between 7-8%...

I find it really easy to maintain this weight. Thing to remember though is this is not a diet, change our style of eating not for a short term but for good. Also its not a low/no carb diet, from day one it was always about only eating the carbs that were needed, as stated oop there, if you dont need them don't eat them, its that easy.

My only proviso from day one though was that I had two days of eating what I want - this wasnt an excuse for 24 hour eating just having a few things I wouldnt eat during the week, currently coconut kitkats and bowls of capuccino...

The hardest part of the whole thing having to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes as quite literally nothing fitted me, looked like I was wearing someone elses clothes.

Nice one ton I'm not on the "official" iDiet but I've been on keto for just over a month now. Weight-wise it's not much different (doubt I'll get a lot lower than my current 12 stone), but I took topless progress photos and there's noticeable difference after a month! Stomach and sides getting more defined and my moobs are disappearing

I started it about 2 years ago and lost a great deal of weight. Threw out all my old jeans and bought 34" waist ones, started buying L instead of XL. Now I've crept up a few pounds but still fit the same clothes.

I know that a reduction is always just a gram flour flatbread away!

The biggest revelation to me was how much better I feel without bread. I don't think i'm Coeliac but I certainly have a bloated feeling after it.

It's a great way to eat and it's not low carb or any of those labels. It is (IMO) all to do with avoiding insulin spikes. Insulin is becoming the scourge of the age. It leads to type 2 diabetes, it's why you get mad cravings for sweet and fatty foods and it's why kids get obese.

I know that's a vast oversimplification but that's what I specialise in.

I heard a programme on 5live yesterday about healthy kids lunches including cartons of orange juice, yogurts and kiwi fruit. Bloody Hell! There's more sugar in that than 10 Mars bars! (see previous para)

I've been off the alcohol this last week (antibiotic for abcess) and my tipple is a mix of carrot juice and V8 vegetable juice with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Brill!

I gave the iDave diet a bash, ages ago. I wasn't particularly heavy, around 85Kg for 6' 1". During several months, I dropped down to 78Kg, but more importantly I had a feeling of much improved general health.
I just felt better. In addition to this, a small patch of eczema, which the Doc told me would only ever persist or get worse, actually cleared up.
(I suspect the eczema was a diary / wheat intolerance)

Since then I've done a fair amount of reading, debating and general homework on all this diet stuff and now follow a kind of iDave diet, primal pattern. Nothing too restrictive and I still get my chocolate and red wine in too.
Infact, on the odd occasion I'll still pretty much eat and drink anything I want to*. But the poor stuff doesn't become part of the day to day food choice. A lot of it, for me, was about establishing a sustainable pattern and list of food choices.

So, these days, I am leaner, I have increased muscle mass. I experience a greater feeling of overall good health. While enjoying the foods I eat.
I don't count calories, but I'm mindful of them.

Becoming aware of the insulin response, what carbs can do for you and that the provenance of your calories may be of some importance. Has meant that things have worked out pretty well for me, so far.

I'd also point out that its not just about the scales or the waistline.
Look at the OP's story, note that the B/P and cholesterol levels have improved. I'd imagine that these are better markers for indicating improved health.

I've been doing the Tim Ferris 4 hour body diet (which I believe is linked to the idiet in some way) on and off since the end of August. Probably lost about half a stone between August and December, when combined with very little exercise other than riding once a week.

From 1st Jan, I then started going to 1 class per day at the gym (e.g. spin, circuits, body pump, etc) 3 or 4 days per week and started keeping records of my weight and %age body fat.

01.01.13:
12st 1lb
24% body fat

03.03.13
10st 12lbs 8oz
19.3% body fat

I don't really want to lose any more weight now, just get my body fat down to between 15%-18%.

Should add, that I do 2 cheat days (Sat & Sun) and don't hold back. Not experienced any lack of energy issues either. I actually feel like I have more energy now I'm less lardy.

I'm doing a half-arsed version of it. Cut out carbs and replaced with protein, beans etc where it is convenient. Eat wholemeal carbs where it's not.
Still eat toast in the morning and occasionally small amount of potato with an evening meal. I could never stick the eggs/salmon/meat breakfast with the full-fat ( ) iDiet.

One thing I've noticed is that fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate taste ridiculously sweet now. I fancied a Yorkie on an off day, ate two squares and chucked it away.

I'm enjoying the reports btw Ton. It's nice to hear how things can get better over the long term and stay that way. There are always reports about diets not working and weight going back on but I worry that they're very defeatist and put people who need to change what they're eating off.

Don't worry Solo… I'm in (in principle… I don't actually need to lose weight & need some carbs for my cycling commute/sheep chucking lifestyle) but I point others in this direction with its 'it works' reports and the emphasis on change of eating habits and particularly not eating out of packets.